Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.

The plane of Hell is the ultimate expression of evil order in the Great Beyond, of the weak subjugated to serve the strong, of complete obedience, and of unquestioning faith. It is not willful and random like the torments of the Abyss or purely sadistic and spiteful like that of Abaddon. Evil and obedience here are honed to a razor's edge in service to a greater purpose: that of bending the will of souls and the very architecture of creation itself to the greater glory of the lord Asmodeus and his perfect order. It is the home of a myriad of devils and other evil outsiders and sadly the final destination for countless mortal souls.[1][2]

Contents

Although Hell is a boundless realm of torment and suffering, it is often thought of as a series of stacked or nesting layers bounded by the Maelstrom. A traveler must pass through each of these in order to arrive at the next lower one. Each is overseen by one of Asmodeus' lieutenants, the dreaded archdevils.[2]

Erebus is the third layer of Hell and is ruled by Mammon. It consists of the sewers of Dis and includes the counting house in which Hell's fortunes are listed, its supplies cataloged, and its soldiers equipped.

The fires of Hell are a common linguistic and literary image but hardly compare to the malicious and deadly reality of actual hellfire. It burns without need of fuel and can be found easily in water, rock, or air. Stinking of sulfur, its flames burn with an unholy radiance that disproportionately harms good and moral creatures. Hellfire is most commonly encountered in the layers of Phlegethon, Malebolge, Cocytus, Caina, and Nessus.[2]

Hellmouths are living portals in the fabric of Hell itself, most commonly appearing as disgusting rents in the ground, devilish faces, or open orifices. They connect the various layers of Hell and are therefore heavily fortified and guarded, with a devil of at least infernal duke status assigned as overseer. A few extremely rare hellmouths connect to other planes, most commonly the Abyss, the sewers of the planar city of Axis, or a world on the Material Plane.[2]

The River Styx begins in Avernus and runs through several layers of Hell, passing through planar portals or hellmouths. It serves as a passage from Avernus through Dis, Erebus, Stygia, Malebolge, Cocytus, and Caina before passing to other planes. In its courses can be found countless souls who have lost their memories, aquatic fiends, and planar traders.[2]